Newsworthy

By Jade C. Jamison

In a town as small as Winchester, there’s no place to hide.

Now that Nicki has seen what the people in power in Winchester will do to keep their control, she understands that she needs to play it safe. Because she’s threatened to topple the thrones of the town’s rulers, she’s on their radar.

Worse, Nicki feels responsible for the murder of a prostitute she’s interviewed, so she wants to help other women in the profession. The only way she can is by reporting every newsworthy tidbit she discovers.Unfortunately, that keeps her under the watchful eyes of the power players in her corrupt town...

PLEASE NOTE: This book was previously published in 2012 as BLIND.

The Nicki Sosebee Stories are an interconnected series and should be read in order for maximum spoiler-free enjoyment.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jade C. Jamison
• Release date: Dec 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005739089

Jade C. Jamison

1. Imagine 2. Play some music 3. Write 4. Blow readers away 5. RepeatJade C. Jamison is a steamy romance author, heavy metal fangirl, wife and mom, coffee connoisseur, cat lover, and vegan foodie--not necessarily in that order. She loves life and believes we learn our wisest lessons when reading, especially if it's fiction. Her heroines are fierce, her heroes all but broken, both seeking redemption together. Whether in a small Colorado town or big city, she strives to take her readers' breath away...one story at a time.Find out more at www.jadecjamison.com ORhttp://www.subscribepage.com/JadeCJamison (newsletter)

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

Nicki Sosebee was driving home after stopping by the grocery store. Even though she didn’t go shopping that often, she’d been thinking of making something for dinner for her and her new boyfriend Sean.

God, she still couldn’t wrap her mind around that thought. Sean was her fucking boyfriend.

Hell, he was her lover.

They’d been together for about two weeks, and Nicki still had a hard time believing it, probably because they’d avoided a relationship for far too long. And they still hadn’t talked much about it, maybe because Sean couldn’t believe it, either.

So Nicki decided to cook dinner for them. She’d had more free time lately, thanks to her job as a waitress at Napoli. Ever since new owners had taken over, her hours had been cut, and since she and Sean had hooked up, she hadn’t minded much. Because he’d let her move into his apartment to help with her expenses, she was able to live on less. She still earned money through her work as a freelance reporter at the Winchester Tribune as well, but it only paid when she wrote.

For a few days, though, she’d been lying low. She’d spent more than a month reporting on the meth problem in her town of Winchester, a problem that it seemed most residents had wanted to turn a blind eye to, and she’d pointed a finger at one of the richest, most influential citizens as being behind it all. Nicki was convinced that a prostitute she’d interviewed had been killed because of her last article, so even though she wanted to do more, she was waiting a while for the dust to settle.

Lucky Sean would get all of her extra attention.

Today, she’d spent time at her parents’ house, just visiting and chatting with her mother. And the whole time, Nicki hadn’t said a word about her relationship with Sean.

It was weird—it wasn’t that Nicki was ashamed or embarrassed. Hell, no. And it wasn’t like her infatuation had ever been secret. In fact, at one time, she’d thought her attraction to Sean had been well disguised, but apparently even her mother knew. The only reason why Nicki had even figured that one out had been from her mother’s comments when Nicki had first moved in with Sean. Her mother had wanted to clarify that Nicki and Sean would just be roommates.

Deep down, Nicki knew what caused part of her reluctance to tell. Her best friends Brandy and Jillian hadn’t ever seemed to care much for Sean, both believing Sean had just been stringing Nicki along. Now Nicki knew better. He’d simply felt vulnerable, like she herself had.

That wasn’t the only reason she wasn’t spilling the beans, though. Nicki was almost afraid that if she said anything, it would curse the magic, break the spell. Well, she’d thought that at first. Now, though, she just didn’t care. Eventually, she knew, everyone would find out, but she wasn’t in any big hurry to put out a press release.

In the meantime, though, she wanted to swing by Sean’s shop. He didn’t always leave right at five o’clock, because he’d usually stay there and work out after he flipped the Open sign over to read Closed. When Nicki had become his roommate, he’d moved all that exercise equipment to his garage so she could stay in his extra bedroom. Maybe now that she didn’t actually sleep in there anymore, he could move it all back.

As she approached his garage, she saw light spilling out of the bay door windows. Just as she’d suspected—he was still there. She wanted to let him know she was cooking dinner so he wouldn’t bring anything home. Turned out Sean cooked more than she did, and she didn’t want him to swing by the store, too. Sure, she could have called him, but she wanted to see him. She hadn’t had the pleasure since lunch time and she didn’t want to wait.

The door was unlocked but she could hear sounds of—hmm—not his usual poison. Usually, Sean cranked Godsmack or Pantera at the shop, but apparently not today. Because he played hard and heavy music, especially when he was working, she wondered if maybe he was still tinkering on his latest bike, unable to stop what he’d been working on at closing time. Finally, as she reached the door, she identified the sounds as coming from Mötley Crüe’s Shout at the Devil album.

When she opened the door, she found him in the corner farthest from where she stood, and the full blast of the music hit her. Sean had a boxing bag—a speed bag, Nicki thought he’d called it—hanging in the corner, but he also had a Bowflex tucked away next to it. Since Sean did most of his bike work closer to the middle of the garage, near the office area, his exercise equipment didn’t look out of place and it certainly wasn’t crowding the work area. In fact, Nicki had almost forgotten he’d moved it here.

Sean was moving his arms rhythmically and at a pace that Nicki figured had given the piece of equipment the name speed bag in the first place, and he seemed to be doing it to the beat of the music. Just as soon as the side of one fist would smack the bag, the next one would follow up, and so on and so on. It was almost mesmerizing, and after standing just inside the doorway for a minute, Nicki had to shake herself out of her hypnotic daze.

Setting her purse on his workbench, she continued walking toward the corner, in a trance from the steady beat he was pounding out. Even though it was chilly in the garage, Sean wasn’t wearing a shirt, and as Nicki got closer, she appreciated the view. Sean’s biceps—not bulky but muscular just the same—were glistening in spite of the cool air, and the definition stood out, probably because he was tasking them. She said his name, but not loudly enough, because he didn’t even turn, even though she was just two yards away. So she decided to touch him lightly on the shoulder and then move into his line of sight, because the way he was turned, he couldn’t see her.

And as she approached, she continued taking in details about her boyfriend, all the things she’d always loved about Sean—not just his well-cared-for physique, but his tousled dark blond hair, his flared sideburns, his smattering of tattoos. She couldn’t see her favorite one, the acronym BAMF tattooed on the knuckles of his right hand, because he had both fists wrapped in gauze. From this angle, she couldn’t see his dark blue eyes or the soul patch on his chin, either, but she knew she would soon enough.

As she touched his upper arm with her fingertips, he responded, not missing a beat, but it was almost like Sean wasn’t in his own body. In an instant that passed so quickly Nicki couldn’t register what happened, Sean spun, grabbing her arm and turning her more than one-hundred-eighty degrees, pushing her back up against the wall. The curled-up fist on his other arm stopped just inches from her face. By the time Sean gained control of himself, realizing it was Nicki, she was breathless, her nerves tingling, her body filled with fear.

Even though her body had responded by tensing her muscles and causing her breath to come rapidly, she understood logically that Sean’s brain must have been turned off while he’d been beating on the bag, working out his demons. At first, his blue eyes searched her brown ones as though he were confused, trying to sort out what had just happened. In that moment, she realized she’d put her hands on his chest in a self-defensive maneuver that actually wouldn’t have done shit if his basic instincts had followed through.

Instead, though, in a matter of microseconds, she saw Sean emerge, his eyes flooding with recognition, but the look was still mixed with a primal energy that Nicki had never seen in him before. And she felt the hunger deep in the pit of her belly, a hunger for Sean that had been with her so long, she didn’t think it would ever be satisfied.

Fuck. Sean had been just inches away from hitting her in the face and she was turned on?

Yeah. And she couldn’t tell if her shallow, uneven breathing was caused by fear or arousal. She couldn’t explain it, nor did she want to. Not right now anyway. As her eyes searched his, Sean’s pupils widened, probably in response to her. So she kissed him, unable to hold herself back anymore, and he responded, his tongue in her mouth the instant her lips touched his. He pressed up against her, and she knew then that she wanted him, right then and there, and she didn’t even care that it was cold in the garage.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she wanted to press him tightly up against her, knowing he could never get close enough. His wrapped hands were touching her cheeks, his fingers in her hair, and she tilted her neck to the side. Yeah, definitely. She wanted him right here, right now.

When his lips moved to her neck, Nicki let out a sigh, but she knew he couldn’t hear it over the music. Moving her hands to his shoulders, she slid her fingers down his chest, hoping to communicate to him that just a little make out session wouldn’t be enough. As his lips moved back up to join hers, she wound her hands around his waist to his back, then cupped his ass in her hands, pushing his pelvis against her body.

In that instant, he grew hard, and in response, Nicki felt her own juices flowing, ready to take him in. Then he pulled back, grabbing the bottom of her shirt. He must have known she was chilly in his garage that wasn’t nearly as freezing as the temperature outside but still not fully heated, because he didn’t pull off her coat. Squatting, he kissed her belly, his gauze-wrapped hands sliding up to caress her breasts through her bra.

And it felt good even half covered. Her fingers were wound through his hair again, and, as he stood up, his mouth consumed hers. She couldn’t wait, though, and quickly moved her hands down to his jeans, tugging on the snap. His eyes were half-closed when he said, In a hurry, huh?

Unable to force a full smile, she nodded, her fingers pulling down his zipper. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. When he opened it, he said, Shit.

Hmm?

Do you have any in your purse?

Her hand, now fully wrapped around his cock, paused its motion as she asked, Condoms? He answered her with a mere not. No. I don’t carry them around.

Fuck. Clenching his jaw, Sean slammed his fist into the wall behind her.

I could give you a blowjob.

And what would that do for you?

She gave him a shrug, loosening her grip on his cock without quite letting go. Okay. Then how about I race you home instead?

After burying her in a kiss, he said, See you soon.

God, she felt guilty. Of course, neither of them had been prepared and Nicki hadn’t thought about it beforehand. Once she was in his arms, she’d been unable to help herself. As she released his cock, she asked, Can I do anything to get you out of here fast?

Taking a deep breath, he began pulling the gauze off his hands. You can double check that I shut down the computer in the office, I guess.

Nodding, she pulled her shirt down. First, she stopped by the CD player and turned it off. Then, she made her way into the office to shut down the computer. By the time it had turned off, Sean was in the office, too, his t-shirt on, and he grabbed his jean jacket. Nicki turned around and even if she hadn’t wanted to be, she was close to him because the office was small. Grabbing her around the waist, he kissed her again, a long, smoldering fusion of their mouths and souls that promised to keep her fires burning till she got home. As he touched his nose to hers, he said, See you in a few minutes, sexy.

I’ll be waiting.

With that, she darted outside, jumping in her car and driving home as quickly as she safely could. In the back of her mind, she was surprised that she was finally thinking of Sean’s apartment as her home, too.

Maybe that was because that was where her heart was.

CHAPTER 2

By the time she got to the apartment, Nicki could barely think straight, but the winter temperature helped cool her off a little. She got out of her car, glad she remembered the bags of groceries in her trunk. She knew Sean would be right behind her.

As she placed the groceries on the kitchen counter, she heard the doorbell. That couldn’t—wouldn’t—be Sean. After the events of the last couple of months, she’d acquired a healthy dose of paranoia, so rather than open the door immediately, she slid on the chain lock and then turned on the outside light. When she opened the door, she saw her friend Jillian outside, wrapped in a thin jacket, her short black hair barely keeping her ears warm, the jacket not protecting her against shit. Her friend was shivering, and Nicki opened the door quickly, grabbing her by the hand and pulling her inside.

Jill. What’s going on? Her friend didn’t go anywhere without her kids without having plans and babysitters—or a willing husband—lined up, and she never appeared unannounced. Jillian at Nicki’s doorstep was completely out of character.

Can I stay with you a while?

Of course. As Nicki led her farther inside, she pulled out a kitchen chair for her. What’s up?

Umm. Well, I, uh, I told Nate he was on his own tonight.

Nicki couldn’t help the way her eyebrows jumped up on her forehead, but she nodded her head slowly. So what’s going on? Maybe if she kept asking, Jillian would get to the heart of the matter.

I think—I think Nate’s cheating on me. And that was when Jillian lost it, tears starting to stream down her pink cheeks. Nicki, operating on pure instinct, moved her chair next to her friend and pulled her close, literally letting the woman cry on her shoulder.

A few minutes later, Sean walked in the door. He started to say something when he spotted the two women in an embrace. Noticing a brown bag in his hand, Nicki knew he must have stopped by the liquor store on the way home, and she hoped he could read the look of apology she was sending his way. She felt especially guilty, because she knew how worked up she’d gotten him, and now he’d have to wait even longer.

But he gave her a slight shake of his head, letting her know it was all right. As he closed the door, Jillian realized they were no longer alone. Sitting up, she wiped her cheeks with one stroke of her forearm. Hi, Sean.

Hey, Jillian. Uh, I can leave if you girls want me to.

No, no. This is your place, for God’s sake. I just—really needed to see Nicki.

Nicki said, You can stay here as long as you need to.

Yeah. As long as you need. After Sean placed the bottle on the kitchen counter, he removed his jacket, hanging it in the closet next to the front door. If you ladies will excuse me, I need to shower. As he started walking to the hallway, he said, Nicki, I can make dinner tonight if you want.

Oh, God, how sweet was that? With a nod, she said, That would be great, if you really don’t mind. I bought some stuff at the store.

His eyes told her yes before he headed to the bedroom. Then Nicki turned her attention back to her friend. Jillian said, Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your dinner.

Don’t be silly. You can stay and eat. I can’t believe you’d even think that. Getting up for just a second, Nicki grabbed a box of tissue from an end table in the living room, placing it on the kitchen table next to Jillian. So what makes you think Nate’s cheating on you?

After blowing her nose, Jillian took a deep breath, gathering her thoughts. "Well, it started over a month ago, but I really started noticing it after Christmas. He’s been working late more and more and wanting to do things with me less. That didn’t bother me so much. But now I keep getting these hang up phone calls. You know, the phone will ring, and when I answer it, the person on the other line hangs up. And, well…he just doesn’t seem interested in me anymore." A tear began trickling down her cheek again.

Nicki’s mouth scrunched up at the corner. Finally, she said, Unfortunately, I don’t know a whole lot about that. Shit. If you’ll recall from when I was in college, I didn’t even know my boyfriend was cheating on me until I literally walked in on him doing another girl.

You’re never with anybody long enough for them to cheat on you.

Nicki didn’t think that was entirely fair, but it was mostly true, so she just shrugged. This moment wasn’t about her anyway.

Wiping her cheek again, Jillian said, "Well, obviously, you were. God. I think I’d kill Nate if I ever caught him cheating."

When Nicki heard the shower turn on, she realized she hadn’t even seen Sean slip from the bedroom to the bathroom. She hadn’t told Jillian about her new relationship with Sean, and she didn’t plan to do it right now. The timing sucked. Sorry to hear about your bastard of a husband, but life’s looking great for me right now! Nope, no way. Jillian and Nate had been together a long time. Nicki couldn’t even remember how long it had been, but they’d been dating during the incident Nicki had mentioned from when she was in college, and they’d lived together before getting married. They’d had a solid relationship for a really long time. Have you considered talking to him about it?

But what if he lies about it?

Nicki let her words sink in, then said, I guess that’s a chance you have to take, but even that might be what you need. I mean, a lot of times when you’re that close to someone, you can tell they’re lying. Can’t you?

Maybe. I don’t know. Two fresh tears trailed down Jillian’s cheeks. I just don’t know what to do.

Embracing her friend again, Nicki decided to just let Jillian cry, knowing that was what the woman needed more than anything else. Tears, time, and perspective were what her friend could use now, and Nicki would do her best to give those things to her.

Later on, Sean, Nicki, and Jillian sat around the kitchen table, finishing up the last of dinner. Nicki had bought ingredients for a spaghetti dinner and Sean had run with it, making a better meal than Nicki suspected she could have. While she’d planned to make a meat sauce, Sean took it up a notch, making meatballs. She’d also bought a loaf of French bread that they could butter at the table, but Sean wound up broiling it with butter and garlic, and on top of that, he made a beautiful salad out of the head of romaine lettuce Nicki had bought. The man was definitely a keeper. More than once in the middle of everything, Jillian said, Oh, I should go.

Sean finally put her mind at ease. There’s more than enough here, Jillian. No sense leaving now.

Yeah, but—

No buts, Nicki said, and Jillian smiled, gratitude filling her eyes. I bought plenty. Thanks for taking over cooking duties, Sean.

No worries.

Besides, how often do you get a night off?

They sat at the table and it was awkward and quiet for a little bit, the only sounds the occasional fork scraping a plate. But then Sean asked Jillian how her kids were doing. The mother of three relaxed and spent a long time talking about her beloved children and when Sean spoke, he asked the right questions. Deep down, Nicki felt immense relief. Jillian had never cared for Sean, but maybe seeing a different side of him would change her mind. Then maybe Nicki would tell her about their relationship.

When Jillian was done talking about her kids, Sean asked, Have either of you heard of the Cripple Creek Ice Festival?

Setting down her fork, Nicki said, Maybe once or twice.

Jillian said, Oh, yeah. Nate and I went once a while back. Then her expression soured again at bringing up her spouse, and she started scooting the noodles around her plate with the fork in her hand.

Because Nicki wanted to keep her friend as comfortable as possible, she thought maybe she’d ask Sean later what he’d wanted to share, but for now, she had to steer clear of this subject apparently. Without speaking, they made eye contact, indicating they both knew the subject was best dropped.

When dinner was done, Jillian helped Nicki do the dishes and then broke down in tears in the kitchen again. "I really don’t want to go home tonight. I could spend the night